Fridays just seem to bring out the biggest moves. Over the last couple of seasons, NHL fans have been conditioned to seeing blockbuster trades go down on Friday nights, just as everyone else is either out and about or getting ready for bed. Just look at what happened with Mikko Rantanen (twice), J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. 

On Friday, October 23, 2026, that “tradition” continued, although this time, the trade went down right smack in the middle of the day. Regardless of the time, it still sent shockwaves across The NHL as the New Jersey Devils acquired goalie Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Nico Daws, Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command (who was a 2026 first-round pick (12th overall) by the Devils), Nick Bjugstad, a 2027 seventh-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick. 

For the Devils, they receive immediate help in their biggest area of need – goaltending. New Jersey hasn’t had a goalie this accomplished since Martin Brodeur manned their net over a dozen years ago. After all, Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, one-time Hart Trophy winner and an Olympic gold medalist. 

The Garden Staters have only qualified for the postseason twice in the past four years and the main reason, other than injuries, that they haven’t been to the dance more is their lack of quality goaltending. Going back to the 2023-24 season, New Jersey’s goaltenders have collectively been below a .900 SV% for three-plus years. Even this season, through 10 games, one of the biggest things holding the Devils back has been their goalies. 

Jake Allen is a solid backup netminder at this stage of his career. Nico Daws came into this season still very much unproven and, after a bumpy start, settled down with two straight strong performances, albeit with plenty of defensive support. But those two, along with Remi Poirier, whom they claimed off waivers on September 27th, were not the answer New Jersey needed. 

Enter Connor Hellebuyck, who, during the springtime, privately requested a trade out of Winnipeg and then publicly reiterated that request in late August. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff consistently stated that he would not just “give away” his franchise netminder. But as the days stretched into weeks, which stretched into months and the team suspended Hellebuyck for refusing to come to training camp, it became clear that this saga could only end one way. 

Up until Thursday night, Cheveldayoff had not received any offers that he deemed worthy enough to move on. There were reports at the draft that Winnipeg and Buffalo were getting close to a deal, but that ultimately fell through. 

Then, according to Cheveldayoff, on Thursday night, Devils GM Sunny Mehta stepped up his efforts to improve his team by targeting the best available goaltender. 

“When Sunny got serious, he got serious real quick,” Cheveldayoff told the media on Friday afternoon. “It was a real treat, actually, to deal with him…it was a pleasure working with him.”

By and large, New Jersey had been on the outskirts of the Hellebuyck sweepstakes. But when Mehta saw his opening, he swooped in and claimed his prize, just like he would during his professional poker playing days. 

Now that the Devils have gotten their guy, the question shifts to “what comes next?”

For starters, since Hellebuyck hasn’t played an NHL game since last season, he is going to need time to get into game shape. Yes, he has been skating on his own in Michigan, but that is a far cry from the heated battles of an NHL contest. At 33 years old and coming off arguably the worst regular season of his career (which was still better than many goalies’ best seasons), as well as a minor knee procedure during the middle of last season, it is going to take time before New Jersey’s new goaltender is ready. 

It’s possible the Devils send Hellebuyck to Utica for a conditioning stint. The problem with that is Utica’s schedule, which sees the team go almost a full week without playing any games. There’s always the possibility that the Devils choose to ramp up Hellebuyck’s conditioning by having him practice with his new teammates for however long he needs before then throwing him into NHL games. 

The problem with that approach is twofold. One, while Hellebuyck gets into shape, it will be difficult for him to get enough work in during practice while also allowing Allen and/or Poirier to get in the work required to be ready each night for the team’s games. Two, after Saturday’s matinee against the Los Angeles Kings, the Devils head out for a three-city/four-night road trip where practice time is going to be limited at best. 

They play Tuesday night in Dallas, followed by Wednesday night in Colorado and then Friday afternoon in Vegas. So, even if he were to practice with the Devils on Sunday (which has been an off day for them throughout October) and Monday, what then? 

Tuesday would be a morning skate. Wednesday, the team likely won’t take the ice before playing against the Avalanche that night due to the nature of it being a back-to-back. Thursday could be a practice day, but in all likelihood the team will take the day off so that they’re not on the ice four straight days. And then, due to the timing of Friday’s game, they won’t skate before that contest. So, Hellebuyck would be looking at almost a full week without even practicing, which would obviously not help his conditioning. 

So, even though he likely won’t need too much time to get ready, the schedule is going to work against him in the immediate days and the week after this trade. Realistically, the earliest he would debut for the Devils would be Tuesday, November 3rd, when the Devils host the Edmonton Oilers. Considering his long layoff, that hardly seems fair, especially with the specter of facing Connor McDavid right out of the gate. So, perhaps he debuts against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, November 5th, at Prudential Center? That certainly seems plausible. 

Once Hellebuyck gets going and gets used to how the Devils play in front of him, he’s likely going to return to form and that is something that should propel New Jersey toward the top of the list of serious Eastern Conference contenders. 

But this could end up just being the start of something even bigger. 

Everyone knows by now that Quinn Hughes has not yet publicly declared whether he intends to extend in Minnesota or test free agency in July. He likely hasn’t made it clear, in private, either, to those in charge in Minnesota, because if he has already told them he doesn’t want to extend, then they likely would have begun shopping him. And if he has already privately told them he wants to stay, then a deal would have been struck by now. So, the possibility that he joins the Devils in free agency grows stronger by the day. 

But that’s old news. 

Just the other day, we learned that Dylan Larkin has expanded his list of desired teams to be traded to and right there for the world to see are the New Jersey Devils. Remember, Sunny Mehta did not give up any future first-round draft picks to acquire Hellebuyck. He managed to hold on to all of his top Utica prospects. He also held on to Anton Silaev and Mikhail Yegorov. So, there is a possibility that he manages to put together a package that Detroit deems too good to pass up. 

Of course, the gymnastics required to fit Larkin’s $8.7M cap hit this season would be difficult, but not impossible. Plus, the cap is scheduled for another large jump next summer and the summer after that. So, the potential free agent deal for Quinn Hughes (which could carry an annual cap hit in excess of $20M) wouldn’t be impossible to fit in either. 

That means that within the first 14 months of his tenure as Devils GM, Sunny Mehta, who has already brought in Evan Rodrigues, Luke Evangelista, Anthony Mantha and Connor Hellebuyck, could, in theory, also add Dylan Larkin and Quinn Hughes. 

That’s not just wishful thinking either. There are numerous trusted insiders and sources who are already speculating that this very outcome could take shape. So, while the Devils need to temper their excitement for a couple of weeks, the next few months could end up being quite fascinating to watch. 

Connor Hellebuyck is the start and what a start, but he might not be the end.